More Than Meets the Eye
by Some1FoundMe
Summary: A series of post-ep missing scenes between Halstead and Lindsay. Begins with 3X11 "Knocked the Family Right Out" and will continue through season four. Spoilers up to the current episode 4X16 "Emotional Proximity" (will continue to change as episodes air)
1. 3X11 Part 1

**Title:** More Than Meets the Eye

 **Author:** Some1FoundMe

 **Rating:** T

 **Summary:** A series of post-ep missing scenes between Halstead and Lindsay. Begins with 3X11 "Knocked the Family Right Out" and will continue through season four. Spoilers up to the current episode 4X16 "Emotional Proximity" (will continue to change as episodes air)

 **A/N:** This is my first foray into writing Linstead. I've been writing Olicity for a couple of years and before that I tackled House, CSI and NCIS. But I've recently started watching Chicago PD and I have to admit, I was immediately hooked and have now binged the first three seasons and am completely caught up… and more than a little in love with Linstead. Let me know what you think please!

 **Knocked the Family Right Out**

The panic strikes hot and fast the minute that he sees the name on the lease. Tawny Darren. Their second victim is somehow involved in all of this. And Erin is with her right now. Alone.

The second the words are out of his mouth, they're rolling out. He's barely keeping it together. He knows he needs to. For the sake of the team. For Erin. He's no good to her if he can't keep his head on straight. She's smart. Strong, resourceful, resilient. He knows she doesn't need to be rescued, not often, but the thought of her walking into a trap - one set by a man who raped a fourteen year old girl – sends his protective instincts into overdrive. She's a good cop, his partner, but she's also the woman that he loves.

He rides shotgun while Antonio drives. She doesn't answer any of his calls and with every moment that ticks by, his heart falls further into his stomach.

"Lindsay's phone is still at that location."

He takes little comfort in Mouse's statement and calls out the next turn.

It takes eight long minutes before they're on the scene. He doesn't even wait until the truck is fully stopped before he's out and making his way to the front door, gun drawn. Atwater and Ruzek are with him, flanking him up the walk. When he pushes the door open, they separate, Kevin to the left and Adam to the right, leaving Jay to head up to the second floor.

He takes the stairs as quickly as he dares, not willing to spook any of their perps, but the sounds of a struggle make his feet move faster. He bursts into one of the bedrooms and has to swallow the fury that immediately attempts to smother him. She's bound and gagged, her eyes wild as they seek him out, and everything in him is screaming for her. But Ty Hanley is there with a knife to her throat and Jay knows that there's only one way for this to end.

"Drop the knife!"

Hanley grabs her, angling her like a shield in front of him, and presses his blade harder to the delicate skin of her neck.

"Walk out now!"

"Drop it!"

"You wanna see her neck sl –"

He doesn't think, doesn't hesitate. He pulls the trigger, dropping Hanley with a single shot. His body goes slack and Erin rolls away from him. She's trembling and he can barely hear her terrified whimpers over the ringing in his ears. He crosses the room in two quick strides, pulling the gag from her mouth before getting to work on her bindings.

"You alright? You okay?"

She's gasping when she answers, her voice shaking.

"S- Spence and Tawney are here."

He radios the team.

"Antonio, one offender down, find the other two!"

And then his focus shifts to her, only her. As soon as she's free, she's in his arms. He tucks her beneath his chin and clings to her as if she's going to slip away from him. He feels the tiny tremors that wrack her body, feels her fingers twisting in the material of his jacket, and he wishes he hadn't let her come alone.

"Erin, are you alright?"

His voice is hoarse, the anxiety slithering its way into his throat tightening his vocal chords, and he wonders absently if maybe he's actually the one trembling. She moves away, only as far as he'll let her go, and the sight of blood splattered across her face turns his stomach. Even if it isn't her blood.

She nods and tries to smile but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I'm fine."

He sighs and pulls her back to his chest, closing his eyes and breathing properly for the first time since he'd seen Tawny's name on that damn lease.

He holds her hand as he leads her down the stairs, helps her into her coat where it had been left in the dining room, and follows her out onto the street. He finds napkins in the glovebox of their car, handing them to her and gesturing silently to her face.

Antonio comes out then, guiding Tawny roughly from the house. He catches Jay's eye, glancing questioningly at Erin, and Jay nods once before taking Tawny off his hands. He's almost got her to the car when Kevin and Adam roll up with Spence cuffed in their backseat. He hears Erin's question to the kid, hears him accuse Tawny of arranging all of it, and before any of them can stop her, she's whirling towards them. She hisses at her, her voice menacing, and when Tawny has the balls to spit in her face, Erin throws a punch that knocks the other woman back into Jay. Antonio grabs Erin before she can really lose it and for a split second – even though he won't admit it – he's proud of his girl for taking that swing. It's twisted what these three have done and not a single one of them has shown any sign of remorse. He's not in the least bit sorry that one of them is dead.

The ride back to the district is filled with a tense silence. Tawny is cuffed in the back of their car. Erin's dark sunglasses hide her eyes. Neither of them speak. So when he finds her alone a while later in the break room, he takes the opportunity to reassure himself one last time that she's really okay.

"You alright?"

She sighs and shrugs and looks down into the coffee she's just made for herself.

"Yeah."

The tightness in his chest loosens just a little.

"Promise me one thing? Never go in without back up again."

She gives him a small, sad smile and nods.

"Yeah."

"I mean it. Not even for a parking ticket. That goes for all of us."

She takes one step then another until she's close enough to set her hand on his forearm.

"I'm already kicking myself. It's just, that girl… I – I bought it."

He shakes his head and twists his arm where she's grasping it until he can reciprocate, wrapping his fingers around her elbow and anchoring her the way she's always anchored him.

"Hey, we all did."

They stay connected for a long, silent moment. There are so many things he wants to say to her. They're still in the very early stages of this relationship and even though they've been on the cusp before, he doesn't want to push her. He doesn't want to scare her. And he's sure that he would if he told her everything that he'd been thinking today. He'd been terrified that he was going to lose her. He doesn't let himself think too hard about the future he'd imagined with her and how worried he'd been that it was all going to be ripped away from him so suddenly. He certainly isn't ready to tell her that he loves her even though he's known for a long time that he does.

"Okay. Lecture over. You want to get a beer?"

She chuckles, that raspy sound that never fails to send a shiver down his spine, and squeezes his arm.

"Definitely. But I've got some good news to deliver first. Meet you at your place in an hour or so?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you later."

Erin just gives him a nod before stepping out of the room, leaving him to watch her go. And he does. He watches her walk away from him and he lets her because he knows that she's okay. She survived, like she always does, and he'll see her again soon.


	2. 3X11 Part 2

**Title:** More Than Meets the Eye

 **Author:** Some1FoundMe

 **Rating:** T

 **Summary:** A series of post-ep missing scenes between Halstead and Lindsay. Begins with 3X11 "Knocked the Family Right Out" and will continue through season four. Spoilers up to the current episode 4X16 "Emotional Proximity" (will continue to change as episodes air)

 **A/N:** For those of you who left comments, thank you so very much for the feedback. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the fact that the first chapter was just a little more in depth from Jay's POV rather than a post-ep. I'd really love to hear what you think!

 **Knocked the Family Right Out – Pt 2**

He's nearly given up on her by the time the knock comes at his front door.

"Hey."

The smile on her face is forced, guarded, and he hopes that – as he holds the door open for her – she's here to talk. Her eyes fall to his bare chest, to the sweats hanging low on his hips, and the shift in her expression is miniscule. But he still sees it.

"How'd it go at the Cliffords'?"

Erin shuffles heavily to his couch and drops onto it, head falling back as a sigh escapes her.

"It was a relief, you know? Telling that little girl that we caught the bastard that did that to her… It was worth the trip."

He takes the seat beside her. She immediately moves closer. Her head drops to his shoulder and he wraps an arm around her. Her eyes still closed, she visibly slumps against him, their bodies pressed together from head to toe. She settles. Relaxes. And there's a flare of pride that swells in his chest at knowing that he can help her, that she's comfortable enough with him to let her guard down.

"I expected you a while ago."

She huffs softly.

"I know. I just – I- "

He turns and presses a kiss to her forehead.

"It's okay. I was just worried."

She doesn't apologize for worrying him. Inching closer, her small, cool hand slides across his chest until she's wrapped around him. He doesn't question her. Doesn't push. He knows better. He's experienced enough of his own trauma. Faces his own demons daily. This case affected her on a deeply personal level, the ones with the kids usually do, and he can't blame her. They'd all taken this one to heart because the animals disturbed enough to rape an innocent little girl deserved worse than jail time. At least Hanley's dead. The sick fuck. Between what he'd done to Carolyn Clifford and what he'd tried to do to Erin. Jay doesn't regret for a second pulling the trigger.

They go to bed with very little fanfare. He leads her into his bedroom and helps her out of her clothes, pulling one of his t-shirts over her head gently before brushing loose tendrils of hair from her face. He can't deny that he would love nothing more than to make love to her, to do what he can to chase away that last bit of tension that lingers in her frame, but that isn't why she's here. She burrows beneath the heavy blankets on his bed and he crawls in next to her. She's in his arms immediately with her face buried in his chest, her warm breath ghosting across his skin. Her exhaustion is evident in the way that sleep claims her almost immediately and it only take a few minutes for him to follow her under.

The sharp sting in his cheek wakes him abruptly. He blinks into the darkness for a moment, awareness slamming into him the moment he hears the soft whimpers from the woman beside him. He sits up quickly and angles himself so that he's leaning over her. He doesn't touch her right away, he doesn't want to startle her, and he keeps his weight off of her as much as possible. She's thrashing slightly, her head rolling on the pillow, her chest heaving. The nightmare that she's enveloped in doesn't want to let her go.

"Erin. Erin, come on, wake up. Babe, you're safe. It's alright. Wake up."

A distressed sound leaves her and he feels it like a knife to the chest. It's clear that she's terrified. That whatever images her mind has conjured in sleep are almost too horrible to bear and he can't sit by and watch her suffer any longer. He knows firsthand what kind of damage those nightmares will do to a person. He'd barely survived his own when he'd come home.

Carefully and with a steady hand, he pushes the strands of damp hair from her forehead. His fingers travel along her jaw and down her neck, gently, reverently, until he can wrap them around her shoulder. He shakes her, only a little, just a tiny movement, and calls her name again. She doesn't come out of it, not right away, but her thrashing slows, her body stills, and he knows that he's getting through to her. He squeezes her shoulder again, rubbing his thumbing soothingly along the dip in her collarbone. The changes in her breathing alleviate some of his worry. She's no longer panting, no longer gasping for breath, and even though it's still too rapid to be considered normal, it makes him feel better.

"Erin."

Her eyes blink open slowly, those golden brown eyes that convey so much, that look right through him most days, look up at him in confusion.

"What? Wh – what's wrong?"

Her voice is strained, a combination of sleep and the lingering remains of her nightmare, and he sighs. He wraps her in his arms, drawing her close, and rolls until he's on his back with her lithe body sprawled on top of him. She's tense, stiff, in his embrace for a long moment before she finally relaxes.

"You were dreaming."

It's Erin's turn to sigh. She burrows closer and he knows that she's trying to hide from the conversation but he isn't going to let her. In his first few months after deployment, when his own nightmares had been awful, talking about them had been the most difficult thing. And while he certainly hadn't thought so at the time, he knows now that, as difficult as it had been, it had actually helped him move on. Talking had helped him heal.

"Today wasn't the first time that I – that I've been in a situation like that."

Her confession doesn't surprise him as much as he thinks that it should. He knows a little about her past, about the kind of kid she'd been when Hank had taken her in. She'd done a lot of questionable things and she'd spent her time with some shady fucking people. He has no doubt that her life had been threatened before. Hell, he's seen it happen on the job more than once. But there's a pit in his stomach telling him that that isn't what she means. She isn't referring to Hanley's knife at her throat.

"I was fourteen. This guy that Bunny was dating he – he brought her drugs one weekend. They were both on a bender. Spent two days nearly unconscious on our couch. Well, Bunny did. Jack, he … he had bouts of lucidity. And he had it in his head that because I was there, I was free game. It was Sunday morning and I came out of the bathroom and he … he cornered me before I could get back to my room. He grabbed me, t-touched me. I fought as hard as I could to get away. Eventually in all of my screaming, my mom came to. She stopped him before anything could really happen, pulled a gun on him actually. I locked myself in my room after that. That was only a few weeks before Hank found me."

The rage that he feels isn't quite like anything that he's experienced before. He's been afraid for her, has worried like hell over her wellbeing and her state of mind, but this unbridled desire to hunt down this bastard and put a bullet between his eyes is new. He wonders if she's ever told this story to Voight. If she has, then Jack whatever-his-last-name-is, is most likely dead or in jail already.

"The nightmare? That's what it was about?"

She shrugs.

"I could've been that girl. I could've been Carolyn Clifford. I got lucky."

He shakes his head, thankful that she isn't looking at him, and wonders how in the world she can talk about her childhood like this. Voight and Camille taking her in was definitely the best thing that ever happened to her. Before that… before that he isn't sure how she survived. He isn't sure that he would have.

"If you ever need to talk about it, if a case ever hits too close to home for you, I'm here, Erin. You can talk to me."

She nods and he feels her breath ghost over his bare skin as she sighs again. He lifts his hand to her head, his fingers combing slowly through her hair. It doesn't take long for sleep to claim her again but this time he doesn't follow. Instead he finds himself staring up at the darkened ceiling of his bedroom saying a silent prayer to a god that he isn't sure he believes in, thanking him for the incredible woman in his arms.


End file.
